Milburn Russell "Tiny" Croft (November 7, 1920 – January 22, 1977) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

offensive tackle in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

1942-1947. He played college football at Ripon College. Croft was drafted in the 20th round of the

1942 NFL Draft The 1942 National Football League Draft was held on December 22, 1941, at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. Two members of the draft class have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bill Dudley, the first overall selection by the P ...

by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

Football career

Croft graduated from Steinmentz High School in Chicago, Illinois. He was selected to an all-star team of high school players from Chicago to travel to Arizona for a game against an all-star team of Phoenix area players. Croft then attended Ripon College. Despite his size, Croft was known as gentle on the football field. The Ripon coaches set up a boxing match with a semi-professional boxer who promptly punched Croft in the nose which angered him. This experience was seen as a turning point in his athletic career. Croft went on to be a three year starter as a linemen for the Red Hawks earning first-team All-

Midwest Conference The Midwest Conference (MWC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Midwest Conference was c ...

three consecutive years. He was also the team placekicker. After finishing his college career, Croft was drafted in the 20th round of the 1942 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. Croft was acquired by the Green Bay Packers during his first training camp. Croft would go on to play for the Packers for six seasons.

Personal life

His freshman year, Croft wrote to actress

Ann Sheridan Clara Lou "Ann" Sheridan (February 21, 1915 – January 21, 1967) was an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the films ''San Quentin'' (1937) with Humphrey Bogart, '' Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938) with James Cagn ...

to invite her to the college's prom. Sheridan wrote him back declining his invitation but sent a signed picture. He married Myra Ann Wasserburger in 1944. He was a charter member of the Green Bay Packer Alumni Club. He worked in the automobile business for 30 years and retired as a District Manager for

American Motors American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was t ...

. Croft died of a heart attack in 1977 at age 56.

References

External links

* 1920 births 1977 deaths American football offensive tackles Alabama Crimson Tide football players Ripon Red Hawks football players Green Bay Packers players Players of American football from Chicago {{offensive-lineman-1920s-stub